Recent SEC scheduling momentum could finally lock in annual rivalries for Texas A&M

As the world of college football continues to change like the seasons, it appears as though the Southeastern Conference is on the verge of a monumental switch.

A nine-game conference schedule, currently utilized in both the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences, has been a hot topic this offseason. Coaches from the Big Ten — most notably Indiana's Curt Cignetti — feel as though the one fewer conference game creates an unfair balance when it comes to vying for postseason inclusion.

While this pending change would appease Cignetti and the Big Ten masses, that's not the SEC's primary goal here. This change would most likely come with an insistence to put the 5-11 College Football Playoff format as the best available option, which has been shut down during previous attempts, as we head for a potential switch from 12 to 16 playoff teams.

SEC nine-game schedule moves closer with recent momentum

It's also worth pointing out that this change would, obviously, have financial benefits: an extra in-conference game would elevate the value of the SEC's deal with ESPN and draw more attention to the conference than another game against a G5 or FCS opponent.

With this switch, every team in the SEC would have three permanent conference opponents and six that would rotate. There's also the chance that this domino would lead the ACC to also adopt a nine-game conference schedule, putting all of the power four conferences in schedule unison.

When it comes to Texas A&M, this would guarantee that the Aggies play at least Texas and LSU every year, as well as one more opponent, which some have speculated to be Mississippi State. Under the previous scheduling format, you could not have both the rotation and multiple permanent opponents— a puzzle that this nine-game slate alone seemed to solve.

The presidents are set to meet "soon," in hopes of expediting discussions about future playoff formats.